TED POLHEMUS


Born: Neptune, New Jersey, USA, 1947
Temple University, Philadelphia - BA, anthropology
Worked as archaeologist in Winchester, GB
University College, London - M.Phil, anthropology [body image & adornment]
Special Events organiser, The Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
Journalist & photographer
Exhibition - 'Posers' - The Photographers' Gallery, London, 1981
Radio & TV - various and extensive [including Bodystyles series for C4 and Dressed To Thrill series for HTV]
Consultant to advertising and marketing agencies
External Curator (and originator) the 'Streetstyle' exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, November 1994-February 1995
Work on VH1 [TV] 'Fashion Awards' programme for 1995.
Consultant to PYMCA [youth culture] photolibrary, London, 1998
Curator ‘Style Surfing’ exhibition for Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht 2000
Teaching, lecturing, consultant, writer 2001-2011

Books:
The Body as a Medium of Expression (co-editor), Penguin
Social Aspects of the Human Body (editor), Penguin
Fashion & Anti-fashion: an anthropology of clothing & adornment (co-author), Thames & Hudson. New revised and updated version with a new introduction and postscript published by the author in 2011.
Popstyles (co-author), Vermilion
Bodystyles, for C4 TV series
Rituals of Love: sexual experiments, erotic possibilities, (author of text), Picador Streetstyle, Thames & Hudson. New revised and updated 2010 edition of Streetstyle published by PYMCA, London.
Style Surfing: what to wear in the 3rd millennium, Thames & Hudson
The Customized Body (author of text), Serpent’s Tail
Body Art [children’s book, author of text], Element Books
Diesel: World Wide Wear, Thames & Hudson.
Hot Bodies Cool Styles, London, Thames & Hudson, 2004.

Work in progress:
Advisor to advertising agencies: youth marketing, style trends & brands
Journalism
Teaching
Radio & TV appearances
fashion and style trend analysis
Revising Bodystyles book for new edition for lulu.com (available soon)
Writing Our Generation: a memoir of the baby boomers, 1947-2022’
Cleaning the kitchen